God is Faithful to His Children
By Sally Bland --
Last Sunday we had the amazing opportunity to worship God as SW Church Together (a partnership between Missio, Riversgate, Multnomah Presbyterian, and Greater Portland Bible Church). Something special happens when we tear down the walls and boundaries of our individual churches and come together as one church to celebrate Jesus!
We felt God working in amazing ways in our Children’s Ministry as well. We came together, united by our love and faith in Jesus, to learn more about our part in the Big God Story. Our Children’s Ministry was bustling with kids and volunteers from every church! As students arrived, they quickly engaged with each other, the leaders, and God as we joyously celebrated who God is!
I was part of the Elementary program and had the opportunity to witness students engaging with and responding to God, it was so inspiring! Our lesson was all about how God is faithful and never gives up on us—even when we go through difficult circumstance. We looked at Genesis 27 – 38 and saw how God stayed with Jacob and never gave up on him even though Jacob was deceitful and stolen his brother’s blessing before running away in fear.
After talking about the Big God Story, I shared about a time in my life when God asked me to step into a difficult place. Several years ago, my very dear friends moved to Texas. It was a difficult time for my family, we had done absolutely everything together; celebrating holidays, raising children, taking vacations, but now we had to adjust to a new reality. Through the process God opened-up the door to new friendships and a deepening relationship within the church that has ultimately brought me closer to Him!
After sharing, the students took time to pray for God to step into the difficult situations they are dealing with right now. After praying, several kids shared with me what those things are. One little 1st grader came up and shared with me how that week she had to say goodbye to her best friend who also moved to Texas. Doesn’t the Holy Spirit move in amazing ways! There were so many examples I could have used that morning, but God knew that that little girl needed to hear that particular story!
Our God is truly amazing and working through all of us to touch people’s hearts and impact the Kingdom! Join us this Sunday as Pastor Wayne dives into Luke 4:1-13 and examines how Jesus is stronger than Satan as He overcomes all the temptations the devil throws at Him! I look forward to seeing you there!
God Bless,
Sally Bland